Raising PH, How Fast or Slow?

[JackDE]

My pH has slowly decreased over the past two weeks. Yesterday I checked and my pH seemed really low somewhere between 7.8-8.0 it was hard to tell with my API Test Kit. I took water to Petco to be tested and they said 7.6 pH and low Alk (I don't remember how much) She also said my Nitrates were 60 which using my API Test Kit I got a reading of 10. Petco used API test strips so how reliable are those?

I do a weekly water change of 10% with RODI.

My question. I am going to do a 50% water change tonight with RODI water. I am going to test pH before and after adding salt so that I know how much pH I get after salt. I am going to use Sea Buffer to raise my alk and pH. My question is, is it safe to bring up my pH all at once?

My salinity is 1.025

 

[GMay]

You should not chase pH. If your alkalinity is low that is reflected in the low pH. Raise your alk to dKH 8 or so and you will likely see a more stable pH in the 8 to 8.2 range.
Good luck and happy reefing!

 

[tankstudy]

pH usually swings up and down during the day. Due to photosynthesis, pH is generally higher during the day time and lower at night. What time during the day did you check your pH?

My tank swings from 7.8-8.2 pH in a day so its fine as long as it doesn't go too far from these numbers.

Unless you know exactly what your alkalinity is, I would not recommend blindly dosing. An alkalinity swing can really devastate some inhabitants. What type of salt are you using? Some salts are fairly consistent and will tell you depending on your salinity preference, approximately how much alk/calcium/mg will be in your mixture.

 

[twilliard]

Also co2 can play a big roll in low ph situations
Your current ph is not a big concern

 

[JackDE]

Also co2 can play a big roll in low ph situations
Your current ph is not a big concern

I wasn't thinking about CO2. I have two powerheads running and an HOB filter so I just don't know why that would be an issue.

 

[twilliard]

It can be dependant on the inside room co2 level.

 

[JackDE]

pH usually swings up and down during the day. Due to photosynthesis, pH is generally higher during the day time and lower at night. What time during the day did you check your pH?

My tank swings from 7.8-8.2 pH in a day so its fine as long as it doesn't go too far from these numbers.

Unless you know exactly what your alkalinity is, I would not recommend blindly dosing. An alkalinity swing can really devastate some inhabitants. What type of salt are you using? Some salts are fairly consistent and will tell you depending on your salinity preference, approximately how much alk/calcium/mg will be in your mixture.

I checked the pH at 9 last night which is my normal time for checking. I double checked before lights on this morning and got the same reading.
I use Omega Sea Marine Salt. I will check my alk level tonight before my water change.

 

[JackDE]

It can be dependant on the inside room co2 level.

Ok, we haven't had windows open in a very long time......

 

[Bpb]

Again. Do not chase ph. Best to ignore it. Keep your salinity in range 1.024-1.026 and your alk at 8.0. Ph buffers are bad business

 

[JackDE]

Again. Do not chase ph. Best to ignore it. Keep your salinity in range 1.024-1.026 and your alk at 8.0. Ph buffers are bad business

I did a 50% water change last night. I will test my pH and Alk again tonight. If my ALK is still low tonight. I should add an alk buffer but return the buffer I have now which is for alk and pH?
The water change I did last night REALLY stressed my Firefish.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley]

I did a 50% water change last night. I will test my pH and Alk again tonight. If my ALK is still low tonight. I should add an alk buffer but return the buffer I have now which is for alk and pH?
The water change I did last night REALLY stressed my Firefish.

Anything that raises pH is an alkalinity supplement, but not all alkalinity supplements raise pH. The one you have will be fine. :)

 

[JackDE]

Anything that raises pH is an alkalinity supplement, but not all alkalinity supplements raise pH. The one you have will be fine. :)

Thank you! I purchased a second test kit so I will test everything again tonight then supplement if necessary.